Self-introductions of HBCU presidents, Fed staff, and guests
Facilitator: Todd Greene, Vice President and Community Development Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Employment and Workforce Trends: Framing the Issues
What type of labor market are your students experiencing? How has this changed over the last decade and what can be expected? And what are the historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) doing to help their students find jobs? This session will discuss current labor market trends with a special emphasis on the African-American labor force. We will also present findings from our survey of HBCU presidents regarding workforce development and discuss the implications of the results.

Connecting HBCU Students to a Competitive Workforce (Part 1)—Effective Strategies from Colleges and UniversitiesThe pace of change in our economy has necessitated developing new approaches and modifying existing strategies to ensure students are competitive for the jobs of today and for the future. Aligning curriculum and developing more robust faculty relationships with industry are examples of two strategies that are easier said than done. In this session, we will discuss some approaches taken by HBCUs and other colleges, including what works and what does not.

Rolando Montoya, Provost, Miami-Dade College Charlie Nelms, Chief Executive, North Carolina Central University Keith Hollingsworth, Chair and Associate Professor of Management, Department of Business Administration, Morehouse College
Moderator: Alfreda B. Norman, Vice President and Community Development Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

Connecting HBCU Students to a Competitive Workforce (Part 2)—The Corporate Perspective
Students need to exhibit proficiency in both hard and soft skills to be successful in today's competitive job market. HBCUs play a critical role in ensuring that their students have these skills. How do you know if the technical skills your students are learning meet the demands of today's employers? In this session, HBCU presidents will discuss with key leaders from industry how both can work together to improve student competitiveness.

Facilitated Discussion on Workforce Best Practices and Next Steps
What have we learned during today's discussion that will help you create more competitive students for dynamic labor markets? What should we do next? In this session, we will capture the most compelling strategies and discuss potential next steps, including partnership ideas, funding strategies, and collaborative opportunities.